By: The Trek News Desk
The Syrian army has announced that it has cleared the Sheikh Maksoud neighbourhood in Aleppo, which was the last area in the city under Kurdish control. According to the military, the district was secured through a ground operation after a temporary ceasefire collapsed. Kurdish forces, however, have denied losing control of the area, insisting that their fighters remain present and that resistance is ongoing.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the Syrian military said it had completed search operations across Sheikh Maksoud, while acknowledging that some Kurdish fighters may still be hiding. Kurdish groups countered these claims in a written response, stating that government forces have failed to take full control and that clashes have not ended. Journalists on the ground reported no sounds of heavy fighting in the area on Saturday morning.
The renewed violence in Aleppo has further exposed one of Syria’s most sensitive political and military divides. President Ahmed al-Sharaa has pledged to reunify the country under a single authority following 14 years of conflict, but Kurdish groups remain cautious of his Islamist-led administration and have resisted integration efforts.
Earlier this week, the United States and several other international actors welcomed a ceasefire aimed at halting the fighting in Aleppo. However, tensions resurfaced when Kurdish forces refused to withdraw from Sheikh Maksoud as outlined in the agreement. In response, the Syrian army announced late Friday that it would launch a ground offensive to remove them.
If government forces ultimately secure Sheikh Maksoud, it would mark the end of Kurdish territorial control within Aleppo for the first time since the Syrian conflict began in 2011. Kurdish factions, however, continue to hold extensive areas in northeastern Syria, where they operate a semi-autonomous administration.
Negotiations between Kurdish leaders and Syria’s new government, formed by former rebel factions that removed longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, have stalled. As a result, fighting erupted in Aleppo earlier this week, leaving at least nine civilians dead and forcing more than 140,000 people to flee their homes.
Amid the escalating tensions, US envoy Tom Barrack said in a post on the social media platform X that he had met Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi in Amman. He stated that the discussions focused on strengthening the ceasefire and ensuring a “peaceful withdrawal” of Kurdish forces from Aleppo.
The situation in Aleppo remains volatile, with conflicting claims from both sides adding to uncertainty on the ground as diplomatic efforts continue to prevent further escalation.
Source: News Agencies
